Electrically energized visible unit



' May 18, 1948. c. M. BRAINARD ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZED VISIBLE UNIT FiledAug. 7, 1944 110 VAC Sound fire/Mar C481. HERA/A6420 A for/7 PatentedMay 18, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC/ALLY ENERGI'ZE'DVISIBLE UNIT can M. Brainard, Los Angeles, Calif. Application August 7,1944, Serial No. 548,463

This invention relates to an electrically energized visible unit and itis a general object of my invention to provide for the energization of avisible unit from or by means of an electric current wherebyvunique andheretofore unobtainable results are achieved. 7

The visible or visual unit energized through the present inventioncomprises one or more elements such as are commonly termed fluorescenttubes. The invention contemplates or provides for the energization ofthe visual unit by means of an electric circuit in whichthecharacteristic of the current corresponds to sound waves, or the like.The invention further contemplates the initial lighting or energizationof a visual unit through a circuit such as I have referred to and thenthe subsequent continuous energization of the unit by an ordinary powercircuit such as theusua'l alternating current lighting circuit used forordinary illumination.

A general object of the invention is to provide a visual unit of one ormore fluorescent tubes and an electrical energizing circuit for'the unitwhich sound waves are transposed so that a unique and pleasing visualresult is obtained at the visual unit. By the present invention thevisual unit responds toqualities or factors of the sound such as tone,as well as volume, and as these factors of the sound vary the visualunit varies or responds, giving a visible interpretation of the sound.

It is another object of the invention to provide for the energization ofa visible unit through a circuit in which the current is a transpositionof sound and in which the unit, when once initially energized, can bemaintained in a constant' state'oi energization by meansof the usuallighting circuit such as an ordinary 110 volt circuit which would not,ordinarily, be such as to establish the unit in an energized condition..By the present invention sound waves generated as x by the voice of aperson'will energize the "visual unit and, following such energization,a lighting circuit will serve to maintain the unit in a constantlyenergized condition. y

The various objects. andfeatures of my in vention will be fullyunderstood from 'th'e following detailed description of typicalpreferred forms and applications of the invention, throughout whichdescription reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in" which:

' Fig. 1 isa diagrammatic view oia typical; simplecircuit embodying theinvention, the circuit shown in. this figure being one whichpserves totranspose sound waves into' electrical fenergy which,.in turn, energizesa visual unit. 2 is a view similar to Fig; 1 in which an-alternat-1-Claim. (Cl. 31'5-313') 2 circuit such as may be employed in carryingout the invention.

'The apparatus of the present invention in-its "broader or more genericform involves what I will term a visual unit I 0 and an electrical unitH which is connected to the unit l0 and which serves to pick up soundwaves and transpose them into' 'electrical' impulses or toimpose themupon an electric current which is such astoenergize the unit l0.-Referring, in particular, to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1of the drawings the electrical uni-t ll includes a soundpickupdevicesuch as amicrophone l2. Theunit I' I serves primarily to take thefeeble or weak' electrical impulses from the circuit" in which themicrophone I2 is connected and amplify them through suitable stages ofamplification so that the current in the circuit carried} by the leads[3 and I4 from the unit H corresponds to the sound waves picked up bythe diaphragm in a suitably In the Circuit illustrated the lead I3carries the positive or plate side of the circuit from the unit it Whilethe lead 1- carries the ground side of the circuit.

The visual unit l0 includes one or more gas filled tubes 2 0'. In the'usu'al case there willbe a bank of a number of tubes 20 and the tubeswill be "connected"- between what I will term bus bars 2i" and 22, or inother words, they will be connected to form abank of tubes inparallel-with each other. The'indivi-du'a'l tubesmay, in practice', varyin size and character or type. However, I prefer, in most instances; touse tubes uniform as-to size and shape; For pleasin'g'visual resultsI'may employ gas filledtubes that vary incharacter, for instance; as tocolor. In carryingout the invention I can use-any suitable gas ingcurrent circuit is included-to constantly eneror tube such aswill-function indevices such as are known commerciallyas fluorescenttubes. As anfexample, neon or argon gasean be used to advantage.

[The leads f3" and 14 carrying theci'r'c'uit from the-electrical unit I[extend to the unit" I'll, so that the-bank of tubes-oftheunit lll isconnec'ted in this circuit. The invention provides inits preferredarrangement, a reversing switch IS in the circuit'be'tween the units [Band l-l so that the polarity of'thebus bars '2-'l andfl' o'fthe unit Illcan bereversed relative to that-of the unit It as circumstances mayrequire; Further, the invention provides, in the form sh'own -in Fig. 1,what Twill-term a brilliance control 13- which serves to controltheene'rgizatio'n of 'the unit I01 necting' a condenser:llandawariablenesistor or 3 rheostat 25 in series in the lead I4 betweenthe switch I9 and the unit I I or ground.

In the preferred form of the invention I provide priming means 39 whichmay include a conductor 3| arranged across the bank of tubes betheother, and with variations in sound input the tween their ends, whichconductor has a suitable ground connection 32. advantageous to locatethe conductor a short dis tance from the end of the bank connected tothe plate side, through lead I4 and in some instances I provideextensions 33 of the conductor 3| to more closely approach the other endof the tubes that may be weak.

The electrical unit II is primarily an amplifying unit. For purpose ofexample I have shown a circuit that may be employed. This circuit asshown in Fig. 3, involves, primarily, two stages of amplification, afirst stage at 40 effected by means of a triode or pentode tube, and asecond stage at H eifected by a suitable tube such as a pentode tube, asillustrated. Any suitable or standard power supply unit 42 may beemployed, as shown in the diagram. In order to'make the output currentfrom the unit II correspond in character or be a translation of thesound picked up by the microphone I provide a choke 43 which establishesa variable load across the output tube. In cases where it is desired tooperate a speaker in synchronism with the visual unit I I may provide anoutput transformer in place of a choke, in which case leads 44 mayextend to the voice coil of a speaker unit.

I have found that it is I In the operation of the unit that I haveillus- I V trated in Fig. 1 soundwaves picked up by the microphone I2are translated into an electric current and by reason of the amplifyingmeans in the unit II the current from the microphone corresponding tothe sound waves is greatly amplified. Assuming the switch I9 to be setso that the bus bar 2I of the unit I0 is connected to the positive sideor lead I3 of the circuit from unit I I, the resistance means 23- whichis, in eifect, a brilliance control, is operated or adjusted to aposition where the unit If! is energized. By energization of the unit I0I means that the gas of one or more of the tubes 20 becomes excited sothe tubes become luminous. The result that I actually obtain Whenemploying a bank of tubes 29 such as I have shown in the diagram is thatone or possibly a few of the tubes will be initially energized and theirbrilliance or degree of energization will vary responsive to thevariations in tone or' volume of the sound put in at the microphone I 2.As variations occur in the sound input either as to volume or tone, orboth, additional tubes may become energized or some previously energizedtubes may drop out, with the result that there is a visual phenomena setup in the unit II which corresponds to or is a translation of the soundput in at the microphone I2. I have found, in practice, that theapparatus follows no particular or fixed pattern, but rather under whatis seemingly one certain sound condition repeated at different times,somewhat different visual effects will be obtained in the unit IQ, forinstance, under what appears to be one sound condition, I may getenergization of one or two tubes in the unit-I0, whereas on anotheroccasion, with seemingly the same sound input, I may get different tubesenergized and maybe a different number of tubes energized. Further, byregulatingthe brilliance control 23 I can adjust the circuit so that thetubes, upon beingenergized, become fully energizedinstantaneously or sothat the energization progresses in the tubes from the'positive or plateside of the circuit toward the ground side,

or in other words, from one end of the tubes to extent of illuminationin the tubes may vary.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2

of the drawings I show a simple circuit in which the electrical unit IIis intended primarily to initiate energization of the visual unit IIIwhile a circuit carried by what I will term power lines 50, undercontrol of a switch 69, is provided to carry onor maintain theenergization of the unit I0. Inthis form of the invention I do not needa brilliance control 23 and consequently the condenser 24 and rheostat25 can be eliminated, the circuit simply being made such that upon soundbeing picked up by the microphone I2 the tubes of the means II] areenergized. When the tubes have thus been initially energized the circuitcarried by the power lines 59 which are connected to the bus bars 2I and22 oi. the unit II], will maintain the energization making furtheractuation from the unit II unnecessary. In practice, the switch 60controlling the power lines is closed so that the bus bars 2| and 22 areestablished with the necessary potential to pick up the energization ofthe tubes once that has been effected through the means I I. Immediatelyafter switch 60 is closed switch controlling means II is opened.

In carrying out the form of the invention just described a ballasttransformer I0 is connected in the power circuit to the unit II], forinstance, in one of the power lines 50. I have found that when such acircuit is used I can employ fluorescent tubes 20 in the unit In whichare ordinarily termed dead, that is,'which are such that they will notfunction with ordinary circuits employed for energizing fluorescenttubes.

Having described only typical, preferred forms and applications of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fallwithin the scope of the following claim.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In a system of the character described, a microphone, a single amplifierfor the electrical impulses from the microphone, and a multiplicity ofgas filled tubes connected in parallel and excited by amplifiedaudiofrequency from the amplifier, the tubes being of difierentsensitivity.

' CARL M. BRAINARD.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the.

Country Date 1,041,210 Weintraub r Oct. 15, 1912 1,221,034 de Forest (a)Apr. 3, 1917 1,365,157 'de Forest (b) Jan. 11, 1921 1,446,247.I deForest (0) Feb. 20, 1923 1,654,068 Blattner Dec. 27, 1927 1,690,279.Craft Nov. 6, 1928 1,729,091 Atherton Sept. 24, 1929 1,908,191 ISchriever May 9, 1933 1,961,749 -Ewest June 5, 1934 2,146,818 HahnleFeb. 14, 1939 2,173,234 Linder Sept. 19, 1939 2,339,178. Lemmers Jan.11,1944

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country, I Date' 214,754, Great Britain .May 1,1924 435,025 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1935

